Case Library

Education cases

295 Conn. 240 March 10, 2010 This case was brought on behalf of individual plaintiffs’ children who attend public schools in Bridgeport, Danbury, Windham, Hartford, New Haven, East Hartford, New London, Plainfield, and New Britain. Plaintiffs argue that the state has failed to provide their children with “suitable and substantially equal educational opportunities” under Article […]

584 F.3d 412 (2d Cir. 2009) The crux of this Second Circuit special education decision revolved around whether the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act (“IDEA”) requires Individualized Education Plans (“IEP”) to identify a specific school location for an individual student, or whether the IEP must merely describe the general environment of an overall program […]

___ F. Supp. 3d ___ (U.S. Dist. Conn. 2009) 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30396 March 31, 2009 This case involved the defendant, Stamford Board of Education’s, renewed motion for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in its defense against the plaintiffs, a seventeen year old senior enrolled at Stamford High School and his […]

___ F. Supp. 3d ___ (U.S. Dist. Conn. 2009) 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30396 March 31, 2009 This case involved the defendant, Stamford Board of Education’s, renewed motion for an award of attorneys’ fees and costs incurred in its defense against the plaintiffs, a seventeen year old senior enrolled at Stamford High School and his […]

Second Circuit Court of Appeals October 9, 2008 The Second Circuit Court of Appeals addressed the long standing issue and adopted a standard for determining what constitutes the least restrictive environment (LRE) under the statutory obligations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Court affirmed the granting of summary judgment to the defendants […]

___ F. Supp. 3d ___ (D. Conn. 2008) No. 3:96cv00482 (WIG) United States District Court May 12, 2008 In a case raising important disability discrimination issues, the United States District Court in Connecticut granted summary judgment in favor of the Commissioner of the State Department of Education, the Department of Children and Families, the town […]

___ F. Supp. 2d ____ (D. Conn. 2008), NO. 3:05CV1330 (MRK) United States District Court April 28, 2008 In a significant decision, the United States District Court dismissed the last remaining challenge brought by the state of Connecticut to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In the case of Connecticut v. Spellings, the state […]

U.S. Supreme Court October 10, 2007 On October 10, 2007, the Supreme Court affirmed, without opinion, a Second Circuit court of appeals decision upholding the proposition that parents need not “try out” a school district’s placement for an identified child if the placement is not appropriate for the child. In Bd. of Educ. vs. Tom F., […]

U.S. Supreme Court (No. 05-983) May 21, 2007 In a surprising reversal of a 6th Circuit decision, the United States’ Supreme Court held that parents may bring a pro se court action regarding any procedural or substantive claim arising under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA.) The Court rejected the view of some circuit […]

United States District Court, D. Conn. 2007 WL 987483 (D.Conn. Mar. 30, 2007) This special education decision serves as a warning to school districts regarding the consequences of failing to include parents in the IEP process. In this case, the parents sought reimbursement for private school placement on the ground that the school district denied […]